[IMC-bristol] Re: Censorship of bunker feature

[crash]

I've just caught up with this debate - sorry for being a bit slow, but 
that's because I'm on the digest.

I brought up the issue of Tony's feature at the meeting. My concern was 
simply the immediate promotion of one's own writing to the front page. I 
don't know if it's been going on 'all the time' or not, but I see no 
difference between this behaviour and writing editorial - something that 
I understood IM was not about. We at least need to be seen to be trying 
to avoid this. In fact, I think the story could make a good feature, but 
this 'lone ranger' approach can't work.

The reason I didn't bring it up when Tony was at the meeting wasn't due 
to backstabbing or whatever - it wasn't on the agenda and I only 
remembered seeing it when the meeting was effectively at an end.

I have no beef about the content of the story whatsoever, and my only 
concern is if it complies with the guidelines, which I believe it does. 
Personally I don't see any justification for removing it from the newswire.

Most importantly, *the subsequent decision to hide was taken at the full 
public meeting by consensus*. Yes, that decision should have been posted 
to the list.

Crash.


>------------------------------
>
>Message: 10
>Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2003 11:46:57 +0000
>From: Ecovillage Network UK <evnuk at gaia.org>
>Subject: [IMC-bristol] Censorship of bunker feature
>To: imc-bristol at lists.indymedia.org
>Cc: Mike Tonks <mike at bettercode.com>
>Message-ID: <5.1.1.6.0.20031112112251.046a4700 at mail.gaia.org>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
>You know I had left the meeting Mike,
>
>1) What complaints about posting articles without peoples permission? 
>Anyway I have Phil's permission to publish it.
>
>2) What do you mean?? Ian's doing this all the time. And it makes sense if 
>you know - as John Serpico does often - most about a particular story.
>
>3) This article - which I think reads particularly well - Phil is a 
>professional journo. has never been published before.
>
>Finally - it's exactly the sort of story the mainstream should be doing but 
>aren't - and should pull in more mainstream readers than the 'activist 
>ghetto' stuff.
>
>I feel really shitty about time and effort wasted with apparently 
>backstabbing people - the least whoever saw the feature as a 'problem' 
>could do was ask me themselves before I had to leave the other day before 
>simply censoring it.
>
>Or at the very least run it past the list before censoring it.
>
>If posting - for the first time for several months - an exclusive, well 
>researched, balanced feature on a matter of international public interest 
>is 'abuse of power' - well, I suggest you read the article.
>
>
>Tony
>0117 944 6219
>
>
>At 11:01 AM 11/12/03 +0000, you wrote:
>
>
>  
>
>>Yes, it was suggested to remove it at the meeting - sorry you had left I 
>>think
>>by this point.
>>
>>1) There's been complaints before about you reposting other people's articles
>>without their permission.  It is not clear if this person has been asked.
>>
>>2)  There's a specific rule in the guidelines about not putting something on
>>the front page if you post it yourself, which I think applies in this case.
>>
>>3) It was suggested that it's not even a new article, quite old in fact.
>>
>>
>>If you are suggesting the author posted this himself / herself, then 
>>maybee it
>>should go back up.  If you posted it, then it would be better if you would
>>write your own article, perhaps referencing this article, and then see if
>>anyone else wants to put it on the front page, or post to the list to ask...
>>
>>Don't really think this is censorshi[, more a question of abuse of power 
>>by an
>>imc volunteer, perhaps.
>>
>>I've not actually read the article myself, just feeding back on the general
>>concensus from the meeting.
>>
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>>    
>>
>
>
>  
>